In a past author Q & A, I was asked what inspired me to write Bedlam Bewitched. Good question. Normally, I consider myself more of a plot-driven writer. I start with a general idea for a story and begin writing from there. But in Bedlam, the character came first—Cory Smyth, my plucky, witchy FMC.
Cory (or rather an older version of her) first appeared as the narrator in one of my short stories. She views life through a “romance novel” lens. Her favorite books inform and color her every perception of the world around her. These romance-hued observations made her a delightful unreliable narrator. She was so fun to write and inhabit that I decided she needed a novel of her own.
Once I knew my main character, Cory’s love of books suggested the magical bookstore which became the setting for the story. Of course, she needed a worthy opponent in the grumpy, buttoned-up, literary-fiction-loving Jack. Throw in Cory’s mother and aunts—three meddlesome, whiskery, weird sisters, who run Cory’s life—and the story took off.
What about you? What generally comes to you first? Plot or character?